Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the soul - by Octavius Winslow

"We often think of faith and love, and their kindred graces, as though they were essentially omnipotent; forgetting that though they undoubtedly are divine in their origin, spiritual in their nature, and sanctifying in their effects, they yet are sustained by no self-supporting power, but by constant communications of life and nourishment from Jesus; that, the moment of their being left to their inherent strength, is the moment of their certain declension and decay." (pg. 10)

"Rocked to sleep by a mere formal religion, the believer is beguiled into the delusion that his heart is right, and his soul prosperous in the sight of God.  Even more than this, - a declining believer may have sunk so deeply into a state of formality, as to substitute the outward and the public means of grace for a close and secret walk with God." (pg. 16)

"All soul-declension arises from the admission of things into the mind contrary to the nature of indwelling grace." (pg. 35)

"Love, flowing from the heart of Jesus into the heart of a poor, believing sinner, expelling selfishness, melting coldness, conquering sinfulness, and drawing that heart up in a simple and unreserved surrender, is, of all principles of action, the most powerful and sanctifying." (pg. 44)

"No mind is so powerful as a renewed and sanctified mind." (pg. 68)

"Nothing perhaps more tends to unhinge the soul from God, engender distrust, hard thoughts, and rebellious feelings, than thus to doubt his loving-kindness and faithfulness in the discipline he is pleased to send." (pg. 82)

"If the soul is in a spiritually healthy, growing state, prayer will be vigorous, lively, spiritual, and constant; if, on the contrary, an incipient process of declension is going forward in the soul - if the heart is wandering, and love waxeth cold, and faith is decaying, the spirit and the habit of prayer will immediately betray it. " (pg. 94)

"The sacred Word, inspired though it be, is but a dead letter, unclothed with the life-giving power of the Holy Ghost." (pg. 113)

"The 'Sun of righteousness' might have risen upon the world in all his peerless splendour; but until the mental eye had been opened by the Holy Spirit, not a beam had found its way into the dark chambers of the understanding and the heart." (pg. 128)

"The work of the Spirit is, not to atone, but to reveal the atonement; not to obey, but to make known the obedience; not to pardon and justify, but to bring the convinced, awakened, penitent soul to receive the pardon and embrace the justification already provided in the work of Jesus." (pg. 136)

"We are but imperfect judges of what tends best to our spiritual or temporal benefit.  That which we may deem absolutely essential to both, the Lord in his wisdom and love may see proper to remove; and as frequently, that for the removal of which we had often besought the Lord, he may see fit to retain." (pg. 162)

"There is no more self-recovery after, than there is before, conversion; it is entirely the Lord's work." (pg. 174)

"...no creature ever has or ever can, by any innate, inherent strength or power of his own, help himself; that moment God leaves him to himself, that moment he falls." (pg. 190)

Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul (Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner Of Truth Trust, 2000)